Pusha T Steps Down From Kanye West's Record Label

Pusha T has stepped down as president of Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music record label and has cut ties with his longtime collaborator following Ye's displays of antisemitism. Pusha T was part of G.O.O.D. since its inception in 2010 and released music through the company right up until his latest album, the Grammy-nominated It's Almost Dry.

G.O.O.D. was a subsidiary of Def Jam Recordings. The parent company confirmed earlier this year that they had cut ties with Ye - Pusha T currently shares a 50/50 record deal between Def Jam and his own label, Heir Wave Music Group.

In a new interview with XXL, Pusha T confirmed that he and Ye hadn't spoken since sharing his disappointment towards the 808s & Heartbreak rapper's hate speech in November. "I was still on tour. I just expressed myself. I express myself to him a lot. He expressed his thoughts to me. And he got off the phone saying, 'Thank you. I know you don’t agree with me, but you never kill me in the public. And some people can’t wait to do that,'" Pusha T explained.

He added, "We started working together in 2010. So, my relationship with him has never been like everybody else’s in regard to the filter. I never had a filter with him. I’ve always spoke my mind. People gotta remember, too. This isn’t new for me, when it comes to disagreeing with him politically and things like that."

He recalled the pair's disagreements during the 2016 US Presidential Election: "Remember, I’m the one that said the MAGA hat is the new Klu Klux Klan hood while he’s making my album."

When asked about Ye's appearances on Alex Jones's InfoWars podcast, Pusha T responded that Ye's behaviour was "nothing to tap dance around. It’s wrong. Period."

He added, "If you ain’t with it, you ain’t down. And I ain’t with it. I’m not budging on that. I’m not with it. I heard about this new stuff [on Infowars]. I don’t know. It’s something that just sort of tells me he’s not well, at the same time. I will say that. It’s going to places where it’s no way to move around it."

It's been an alarming year for Ye. He is facing a $250 million lawsuit from George Floyd's family because of his comments ("They hit him with the fentanyl if you look, the guys knew wasn't even on his neck like that") and has been dropped by Adidas, Balenciaga, and Def Jam Recordings, among others. He has been indefinitely suspended on Twitter.

As reported by The Los Angeles Times, Ye's anti-semitic comments have had real-life consequences and recently drew a well-known hate group to a Los Angeles freeway; the group "gave Nazi salutes as they stood behind a large banner that read, 'Kanye is right about the Jews.'" 

Earlier this year, Ye wore a "White Lives Matter" long-sleeved shirt at his Yeezy Season 9 fashion show, where he later proclaimed himself "the leader". American conservative pundit Candace Owens wore a matching shirt while models wore it on the runway.